What is wrong with Dublin City Centre?

Carlos Orange

alastair wrote: »

We aren't taxed to the hilt here. Our tax burden is remarkably unremarkable, compared to the rest of the world. Nothing tough in any of it.

http://www.nerinstitute.net/download/pdf/income_taxes_ireland_inbrief.pdf

The report looks a little misleading because it cuts off the income brackets so early but it is obvious from it that Ireland places way more of the tax burden on above average wage earners than other countries do.

caff

Fred_Johnson wrote: »

I'm aware of the law as it stands. I'm saying it should be a crime, given the huge welfare payments in this country. If i don't like it, i won't ignore it, i'll seek to change it. That ok with you?

Do something about it, create a lobby group. Run as local councillor on the issue.

Muahahaha

LollipopJimmy wrote: »

I love town... but it's filthy at the moment. I'm 33 years old and have lived in or close to the city centre all my life and I can safely say it's worse than I ever remember. Rubbish everywhere and the antisocial behaviour is worsening by the day. The council won't spend on cleaning and the guards are woefully under resourced.

Agree with how filthy it can be. One thing that stands out to me in Dublin is actually how filthy most of the buildings around town are. The vast majority are absolutely caked in decades of road dust. Its a shame that DCC dont insist on businesses power hosing their buildings once in a while. But then again why would they when the council themselves never seem to do it on the footpaths. You see a lot of it on the continent late at night with crews of workers washing the footpaths but it doesnt seem to go on here at all from what Ive seen. I remember a few years back someone power washed a bit of the walls on the north quays, the difference in colour of the stone was remarkable. Ive always thought Id love to go down to the quay walls some night across from DCC on Wood Quay and powerwash a stencil on to the wall saying "Clean Me" just to see could they be shamed into doing sometning about it

Strong Life in Dublin

HenryHill wrote: »

Literally no public toilets, having to go into McDonalds only to be told by a Nigerian that I'm not allowed use their toilets.

I always use McDonald's toilets and the security are sound, they never said anything to me. Lol by any chance do you dress a bit like a junkie?

wakka12

HenryHill wrote: »

Literally no public toilets, having to go into McDonalds only to be told by a Nigerian that I'm not allowed use their toilets.

Its so frustrating! And I know the usual 'maintenance' argument is made with public toilets but amsterdam has plenty of public urinals that work well. They are an outdoor cubicle basically with a hole in the ground so its cleaned by rain water. Would work well here too Id say.
http://36u65w3dg54i1kju4b3cdnjs.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/files/2008/11/streeturinal.jpg

I could see why you might find them a bit disgusting but its hardly a worse alternative than the current situation where people have no other option but to piss on the street.

wakka12

Muahahaha wrote: »

Agree with how filthy it can be. One thing that stands out to me in Dublin is actually how filthy most of the buildings around town are. The vast majority are absolutely caked in decades of road dust. Its a shame that DCC dont insist on businesses power hosing their buildings once in a while. But then again why would they when the council themselves never seem to do it on the footpaths. You see a lot of it on the continent late at night with crews of workers washing the footpaths but it doesnt seem to go on here at all from what Ive seen. I remember a few years back someone power washed a bit of the walls on the north quays, the difference in colour of the stone was remarkable. Ive always thought Id love to go down to the quay walls some night across from DCC on Wood Quay and powerwash a stencil on to the wall saying "Clean Me" just to see could they be shamed into doing sometning about it

Sometimes I wonder whether the dublin county council do literally anything to try and maintain the city outside of the absolute necessities, where in there'd be protests if they didnt do it, such as bin collection
Like seriously what in the world do the dublin city council members occupy their time doing all day???

cactusgal

wakka12 wrote: »

its hardly a worse alternative than the current situation where people have no other option but to piss on the street.

Hand on heart, I have lived in Dublin for 15 years. I pee about 5 times a day, sometimes more. I have never once pissed on the street.

If I can do it, so can you!
No other option? Really?

Doctor Nick

wakka12 wrote: »

Its so frustrating! And I know the usual 'maintenance' argument is made with public toilets but amsterdam has plenty of public urinals that work well. They are an outdoor cubicle basically with a hole in the ground so its cleaned by rain water. Would work well here too Id say.
http://36u65w3dg54i1kju4b3cdnjs.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/files/2008/11/streeturinal.jpg

I could see why you might find them a bit disgusting but its hardly a worse alternative than the current situation where people have no other option but to piss on the street.

2 words for lack of public loos. Addicts and cruising.

wakka12

cactusgal wrote: »

Hand on heart, I have lived in Dublin for 15 years. I pee about 5 times a day, sometimes more. I have never once pissed on the street.

If I can do it, so can you!
No other option? Really?

Well no I always use mcdonalds but I cant see many options apart from that if theres no fast food places nearby. Sneaking in or asking resturants for the loo because theres no public toilets around is ridiculous though. At nighttime when theyre closed though there no other options, so I have to use an alley or side street on nights out

And as for the cruising and drug use, it would be easily visible in toilets like the ones in Amsterdam

Exeggcute

It's a fcuking noisy building site. I was up there a year ago and it was a mess. Went there today and it was the exact same.

What the fcuk are they doing and why is it taking forever?

Carlos Orange

wakka12 wrote: »

At nighttime when theyre closed though there no other options, so I have to use an alley or side street on nights out

Maybe I'm in the minority but any place I go for a night out usually has its own toilets.

Chuchote

alastair wrote: »

Begging is illegal in a number of EU states and regions, so is obviously going to be less evident. But your French mate needs to get himself to the UK, Spain, or Portugal, where, eh, 'native people' can be readily seen begging. If begging isn't a crime, then kind of difficult to understand how anyone is soft on it.

He needs to take himself to Paris, where I've seen many French people begging on the streets.

Doctor Nick

Chuchote wrote: »

He needs to take himself to Paris, where I've seen many French people begging on the streets.

Yup, I think I posted further up in this thread the amount of countries I've seen begging in which is basically every country I've been to. The only exceptions are the tourist resorts in Majorca but as far as I am aware they are cordoned off from the local populace.

With regards to Paris; Gare du Nord was particularly shocking in terms of litter, begging, homelessness, drugs and aggression. When you compare that to Champs-Elysses it's hard to reconcile the fact they are the same city. Much worse than Dublin as a result of everything I just mentioned.

punisher5112

psinno wrote: »

Maybe I'm in the minority but any place I go for a night out usually has its own toilets.

Not much use to anyone when its closing time and you have to walk or wait for a taxi.

Town is is sh1t piss and human sh1t and puke down all side streets and even O'Connell street.

Its a disgusting place to walk thorough.

The boardwalks are taken over with yokes on drink and drugs.

Openly dealing and kids involved also.
Bike thefts are rampant.

Its a depressing place to be.

alastair

psinno wrote: »

The report looks a little misleading because it cuts off the income brackets so early but it is obvious from it that Ireland places way more of the tax burden on above average wage earners than other countries do.

Irish wage earners on 167% of average earnings are paying just below OECD average income taxes at the same scale. Obviously we have a progressive income tax model, so high earners do pay more income tax. Still nothing penal about any of it.

Carlos Orange

alastair wrote: »

Irish wage earners on 167% of average earnings are paying just below OECD average income taxes at the same scale. Obviously we have a progressive income tax model, so high earners do pay more income tax. Still nothing penal about any of it.

Penal is a political judgement. There is something remarkable about the way people earning half of average wages pay 5 times less tax in Ireland than someone in the EU15 or OECD and the way going from average wages to 200% average wages the tax per extra euro earned is ~28% higher in Ireland than the OECD.

Ash.J.Williams

humberklog wrote: »

Other than the obvious mess the Luas is making at the moment I think Dublin looks better now than it has in my lifetime (I'm 47). In particular the mid 70's to early 90's was a particularly grim time in Dublin.

A lot of the buildings had fallen into disrepair and because of the economic situation there was very little interest in investment.

Beggers on the street has always been a problem in Dublin. Even going back to the 1840's when the African American Frederick Douglas came to visit he was taken aback at the amount of begging on the streets.

Dublin's not unique in having beggars but there is, I think, more indigenous Irish people begging than you get (for example) indigenous French begging in France or Dutch in Holland or Germans in Germany etc. You get begging in all cities but I'd see more immigrants begging in those countries. I don't see many immigrants begging in Ireland. Some of course but they're in the minority.

It's seems to be considered a viable way of topping up their already generous benefits but this isn't a new phenomena in Ireland by a long stretch.
I think we've a problem but I don't think the problem is any worse now than 25 years ago.

The heroin epidemic in the 80's was a brutal time in the city for junkies, beggars and muggers and the cityscape looked awful too.

Beggers aren't the issue, it's junkies. I have never seen heroin as visible as it is now. It's in everyones face. I would say worse than any previous time.

pilly

Ash.J.Williams wrote: »

Beggers aren't the issue, it's junkies. I have never seen heroin as visible as it is now. It's in everyones face. I would say worse than any previous time.

You obviously weren't around in the 80's.

Doctor Nick

Came across that "South African" lad doing his thing with two Americans. Told them he's a scammer and they left pretty sharply. He looked less than impressed with me but didn't bother saying anything.

Stephen15

Ash.J.Williams wrote: »

Beggers aren't the issue, it's junkies. I have never seen heroin as visible as it is now. It's in everyones face. I would say worse than any previous time.

Italy seems to have a herroin problem aswell altough you dont see so many junkies begging really i was on a bus in Palermo with a native junkie on board and i thought it was sad as i had more knowledge as a tourist of Palermo's bus system then he did. It dawned on him ten minutes into the bus journeythat he was on the wrong bus.

Chinasea

Muahahaha wrote: »

Its a shame that DCC dont power hose their buildings once in a while. But then again why would they when the council themselves never seem to do it on the footpaths. You see a lot of it on the continent late at night with crews of workers washing the footpaths but it doesnt seem to go on here at all from what Ive seen. I remember a few years back someone power washed a bit of the walls on the north quays, the difference in colour of the stone was remarkable. Ive always thought Id love to go down to the quay walls some night across from DCC on Wood Quay and powerwash a stencil on to the wall saying "Clean Me" just to see could they be shamed into doing sometning about it

Agree Totally.

The only thing they have is a bit of a piddle trail from the motor wheelbarrow yolk that one of the street sweepers pushes around the streets now and then.

Totally inadequate.

The whole city is pure grime. Power hosing is badly needed.

dhaughton99

Dawson street, where the Luas works are going on. Begger sitting right on the corner, close to tiger store, reducing the x2 pedestrian traffic down to 1 because you have to step around him. All the time. That street was hell to deal with before the works. It can't be just me who thinks he needs to be moved off.

Chuchote

Doctor Nick wrote: »

Came across that "South African" lad doing his thing with two Americans. Told them he's a scammer and they left pretty sharply. He looked less than impressed with me but didn't bother saying anything.

What's his pitch? I came across a lad begging in Rathmines with a charming dog; had a chat with him and he said he was South African and had been thrown out of his flat because his landlord objected to the dog. Is this the same guy?

Oh, wait, it wasn't; he said he was South American, not South African, come to think of it. So the South African lad…?

Doctor Nick

Chuchote wrote: »

What's his pitch? I came across a lad begging in Rathmines with a charming dog; had a chat with him and he said he was South African and had been thrown out of his flat because his landlord objected to the dog. Is this the same guy?

Oh, wait, it wasn't; he said he was South American, not South African, come to think of it. So the South African lad…?

There's a thread on him here somewhere. Been articles written about him too. Offers a phone and promises to meet up later with their cash. Phone is robbed. He's scammed loads. Just Google the four words Dublin SA and Google will even have a search recommendation. Scum.

Chuchote

LOL, he has his own Reddit!

https://www.reddit.com/r/ireland/comments/5rjluz/return_of_the_south_african_scam_artist_dublin/

I was approached by a pair of "young students" in Temple Bar with a similar story a couple of years back. I was full of sympathy and told them I'd seen a garda around the corner and offered to bring them to him, as the Gardaí could help them with their embassy, etc. Strangely, they then found something urgent to do. I wasn't being funny, either, was trying to help!

Ash.J.Williams

pilly wrote: »

You obviously weren't around in the 80's.

i was very much so and it's worse now.

MartyMcFly84

I work on Tara Street and just now on the quay their are lads openly selling methadone outside the Rolling Donut. Customers walking down the footpath swinging away on methadone. Not trying to hide it in the least. I normally walk around a bit at lunch time and the lack of Garda presence on the streets is concerning.

I lived in Granada, Spain for 5 years and their always seemed to be Police presence on on all major streets and plazas in the city centre of the city. Something I seldom see in Dublin.

Ash.J.Williams

MartyMcFly84 wrote: »

I work on Tara Street and just now on the quay their are lads openly selling methadone outside the Rolling Donut. Customers walking down the footpath swinging away on methadone. Not trying to hide it in the least. I normally walk around a bit at lunch time and the lack of Garda presence on the streets is concerning.

I lived in Granada, Spain for 5 years and their always seemed to be Police presence on on all major streets and plazas in the city centre of the city. Something I seldom see in Dublin.

I used to work on ushers quay and can vouch there's open injecting and dealing both sides of the liffey right up as far as where you are

Doctor Nick

MartyMcFly84 wrote: »

I work on Tara Street and just now on the quay their are lads openly selling methadone outside the Rolling Donut. Customers walking down the footpath swinging away on methadone. Not trying to hide it in the least. I normally walk around a bit at lunch time and the lack of Garda presence on the streets is concerning.

I lived in Granada, Spain for 5 years and their always seemed to be Police presence on on all major streets and plazas in the city centre of the city. Something I seldom see in Dublin.

Up around Tara Street was a lot worse three or four years ago. Huge undercover presence and it was a lot like a game of cat and mouse between sellers and plain clothes. The plain clothes used to actually stand chatting to the dealers as it meant nobody could buy anything. Obviously the dealers and addicts knew the undercover after a while but anytime I've been up there lately it's been quiet so I presumed it was successful.

Swigging from bottles of methadone is hardly the end of the world. At least they're taking that rather than heroin.

LollipopJimmy

The sad part is the genuine homeless (rough sleepers) end up with a bad rep, I spent the last 18 months helping the rough sleepers and a high percentage of the ones I met would have been clean and sober and fearful of going to the hostels due to fear of being robbed or being around the habits they have managed to kick.
In fact a lot of the rough sleepers I helped also refused to beg. A lot of beggars actually have homes or semi permanent beds in hostels and refer to begging as 'going to work'. There's money in begging now and I would implore people not to give money to beggars as it just perpetuates the cycle.